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F. A. ADAMS.

CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2!. 1921.

1,406,-1 3 Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

a, ATTORNEY F. A. ADAMS.

CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21,1921.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922'.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. ADAMS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO BURT G. OLNEY, OF ROME, NEW YORK, AND FLORENCE C. BAILEY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

CLOTHES-WASHING MACHIN E.

Application filed April 21, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at Rochester, in the county of Mon- I'Oe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Washing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to agitating machines particularly adapted for washing clothes or the like, and it has for its object to afford a practical and efficient mechanism, of a form that can be economically manufactured and lends itself readily to a small size machine, which may be of a portable character for handling a small wash.

An additional purpose of the improvement is to provide a machine such as mentioned above, of the suction cup type, in which the cups are reciprocated within a clothes receptacle, and are also intermittently rotated.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide a simple mechanism by which water power can be employed in the operation of a machine of the type referred to, the parts being constructed and arranged in such a manner as to give an extremely easy control, with little likelihood of the mechanism becoming in any way disarranged.

These and other advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the description. v

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a machine showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, with the suction cups in their uppermost position. I

Figure 2 is a similar view, with parts broken away, showing the suction cups in their lowermost position.

Figure 3 is a plan view, and

Figure 4 is a detail side elevation of the interlocking ratchet members, which connect the actuating device with the carrier, and serve to impart intermittent rotary'motion to the latte The principles of the invention, as expressed in the claims hereinafter, may be practically adapted in a variety of ways, and it is to be understood that the present disclosure is entirely for illustrative purposes, and

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. '7, 1922.

Serial No. 463,176.

in no sense is intended as confining the in ventlon to the details or arrangements that will now be set forth.

Referring to the embodiment shown in the drawings, A designates a clothes and water receptacle, having a cover B, and a bot-tom Q, provided with suitable supporting legs. Sald legs are designated at a, and are mounted in metallic sockets b fixed to the bottom. One of said sockets b is adjustable on the bottom, as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 and full lines in Figure 2, so that with a three legged support, by adjusting one of said legs, the device can be adapted to rest upon the rim of any wash basin, regardless of the size of the opening in the basin. The machine is intended primarily for water power operation, and being also of a portable nature, would frequently be employed on bathroom basins or sink basins, and the adiustable leg construction just described makes this conveniently possible.

Arranged within the receptacle are suctlon cups, or equivalent water and clothes agitating devices designated at D, each cup" being mounted on an arm d, which in turn is fixedly attached to a carrier that is adapted to be reciprocated vertically and rotated intermittently. This carrier may be constructed in various ways, and I have shown it as comprising an arbor e, to which is fixedly gciniii ected a tubular member or hollow spin- The carrier just described is governed by a reciprocatory actuating device connected thereto, and preferably in the form of a piston designated generally at E and secured to the lower end of the tubular member 7. The spindle E travels back and forth in a cylinder F underthe action of water which is admitted alternately to opposite ends of the cylinder, so as to act on opposite sides of the piston, and the flow of water is automatically reversed by the travel of the piston, in the manner that will now be made clear.

The cylinder F is arranged within and spaced from a cylindrical casing G, through which water passes to reach the upper end of the cylinder, entering the latter through openings 9. Water reaches the cylindrical housing G through a port it which communi cates with the valve chamber 2', into which opens the water inlet H. J and J are the controlling valves which are mounted on a inder, as shown in Figure 2.

opening Z.

slidable valve rod J and act alternately to admit the flow of water to port h, as shown in Figure 1, and to the lower end of the cyl- In order to effect the necessary back and forth travel of the valve rod J I employ a bell-crank pivoted. at 7:, and having one end connected to the valve rod, and the other end pivotally connected to a link 7;. The latter is mounted on a controlling rod provided with a head it at its upper end which telescopes within; the tubular member f. 6

and Z designate the exluuist ports for the water, and with the parts in position shown in Figure '1, water enters the upper end of the cylinder, forcing the piston downwardly, while the exhaust water passes out through lVhen the piston reaches the downward limit of its stroke, the cam m engages, the upper end of the linlr 7;, moving 1t downwardly, and thus shifting the bell-crank to the position shown in Figure 2, moving the valves so as to cover the port it and uncover the lower end of the cylinder. T hereupon the piston travels upwardly until it engages the head 7: at the upper end of the controlling rod 70 thereby shifting the parts back to the former position, and

the, operation is repeated.

In order to prevent accidental displacement of the valve rod, a spring actuated plunger n is employed which cooperates with the short arm n of the bell-crank, and serves to hold it in either extreme position, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The operative end of the plunger n is tapered so that when the valve rod is reversed, the plunger will readily yield under the water pressure, and permit the bell-crank to move past. The parts thus far described have to do with effecting reciprocatory motion of the carrier and suction cups, and I will now describe the means by which the last mentioned elements are given an intermittent rotary motion.

Arranged on the top of the casing G is a stationary cap K, and arranged within said cap K, and surrounding the hollow spindle f, is a sleeve L which is provided with a cam-slot 0. Engaging said cam-slot 0 is a stationary abutment, in the form of a pin 39, threaded into the cap K, so that as the sleeve L moves vertically, it is given a turning motion by the pinp. The sleeve L is adapted to be engaged and moved upwardly by the piston E, and provision is made, for locking these parts together during their upward travel, so that the rotary motion of the sleeve L is imparted to the piston E, and consequently to the carrier and to the. cups D. To this end, the piston has fixed thereabove a ratchet member in the form of a plate 9 with ratchet teeth q, which cooperate with corresponding ratchet teeth 9?. formed at the lower end. of the ratchet member or sleeve L. The sleeve L is returned to its normal position by the spring 1", and during the downward travel of the sleeve L, its teeth Q2- ride overthe teeth g on the piston without turning the latter. Thus the piston and the suction cups are turned slightly at each reciprocation, always however turning in the same direction so that an intermittent rotation is effected. Although I have described the invention with reference to the construction shown, the invention may be modified without departing from the fundamental features, of the improvement, and this application is intended to cover any changes or departures as may come within the principles set forth, or the scope of the following claims.

lVhile this application deals more particularly with a clothes washing machine, the invention is likewise applicable to other types of machinery, such as churns, ice cream freezers, mixers and the like, and the claims are intended to cover any application of the mechanism of the improvement.

I claim: 1. The combination with a receptacle, of a carrier, and fluid-controlled instrumentalities for imparting an intermittent rotative movement to said carrier.

2. In a clothes washing machine, the combination with a receptacle, of a carrier, and fluid-controlled instrumentalities for imparting an intermittent rotative and a vertical reciprocatory movement to said carrier. 3. The combination with a receptacle, of a carrier, a reciprocatory fluid controlled actuating device connected to the carrier, and means acting automatically to impart an intermittent rotative movement to the carrier.

a carrier, a reciprocatory water-controlled piston connected to the carrier, and means 7 acting automatically to impart an intermitw tent rotative movement to the carrier.

5. The combination with a receptacle, of a carrier, a reciprocatory fluid controlled actuating device mounted on the carrier, and means acting automatically to intermittently rotate the carrier and actuating device.

6. The combination with a receptacle, of a carrier, a'piston mounted on said carrier, a cylinder in which said piston-reciprocates, and means acting automatically to mtermit: tently rotate said piston and carrier.

7. The combination with a receptacle, of a carrier, means for reciprocating said carrier, an oscillatory sleeve, and means acting to lock said carrier and said sleeve together during the vertical travel of the carrier in one. direction.

8. The combination with a receptacle, of a carrier, means for reciprocating said carrier, a reciprocating sleeve having a, cam way, a stationary abutment engaging said cam-way and causing turning of the sleeve, and means for interlocking the sleeve and carrier while the latter travels in one direction.

9. The combination'with a receptacle, of a carrier, means for reciprocating said carrier, a reciprocating sleeve having a camway, a stationary abutment engaging said cam-way and causing turning of the sleeve, and interlocking ratchet members carried by the sleeve and carrier respectively, and cansing said parts to be locked during vertical travel in one direction.

10. The combination with a receptacle, of a carrier, means for reciprocating said carrier, a reciprocating sleeve having a camway, a stationary abutment engaging said cam-way and causing turning of the sleeve, a spring acting to return said sleeve to its lowermost position, and interlocking ratchet members carried by the sleeve and carrier respectively, and causing said parts to be locked during vertical travel in one direction.

11. The combination of a receptacle, with an agitator operating therein and a fluid actuated motor controlling said actuator, said motor being disposed within the receptacle.

12. The combination of a receptacle, with a fluid actuated motor carried thereby; said motor comprising a cylinder extending into the receptacle, a piston and piston rod; and an agitator, operating within the receptacle, carried by the piston rod.

13. The combination of a receptacle, with a fluid actuated motor comprising a cylinder extending upward therein from the bottom, a piston and piston rod; and an agitator, opcrating within the receptacle, carried by the piston rod.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

FRANK A. ADAMS. 

